A Tale of Two Borders

Each year, tens of millions of commercial shipments enter the U.S. from other countries and circulate within North America, constituting a potentially serious security problem. Since Sept. 11, which exposed the U.S.'s degree of vulnerability, we are all acutely aware of the need for expanded security within our transportation systems.

Mobility is a fundamental freedom to Americans and our commercial transportation is a key driver of our economic structure.

As Norm Mineta, U.S. secretary of transportation, eloquently stated, "We do not want our checkpoints to become choke points on the economy."

Our ability to leverage existing intelligent transportation systems technology provides a solid foundation for accelerating our country's homeland security initiatives and defending our liberties.

Capturing data, turning data into value-added information and distributing that tailored information to the authorized users enabling swift decisions and expediting low-risk freight movements is the foundation for our country's precautionary effort. At border crossings, expedited flow of data is even more crucial and is particularly so since NAFTA took effect in 1994. Consequently, the security measures taken must be able to identify the real potential threats in a sophisticated, targeted way.

Canada FAST forward

Even before Sept. 11, various pilot security initiatives were under way throughout the country and, now, with the increased urgency to deploy, federal and private organizations are scrambling to enhance border crossing programs and placing us on the verge of some dramatic improvements.

But what exactly is being done? Everyone seems to have a homeland security product, but how do we differentiate between smoke and mirrors and tangible results?

We need progress not politics or promises. We need integration, collaboration. In recent months, key pilot project test and evaluation programs hit the spotlight and did just that.

In September 2002, President Bush highlighted the appeal of smart border crossings when he and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien visited the Ambassador Bridge, which links Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit. The bridge is the busiest international border crossing in North America and a critical trade corridor, feeding Michigan's just-in-time auto industry and serving as a conduit for 27% of all merchandise trade between the U.S. and Canada. The Ambassador Bridge is also a prototypical example of how public-private cooperation is applying intelligent transportation systems to build stronger, safer borders without hindering the free flow of goods.

One of the joint border policies highlighted by Bush's visit is the Free and Secure Transport (FAST) program, which combines the efforts of both countries to make sure preprocessed, low-risk trade can flow freely across the border. FAST, which is now operational in Detroit and five other locations, incorporates dedicated commercial vehicle lanes, allowing authorized FASTcompliant trucks an expedited border crossing without long waits. To streamline this process, the program combines preprocessing of paperwork with wireless RFID transponder detection and identification of authorized transactions that accommodates the sending of electronic information to Customs agents regarding the type of cargo, the authorized vehicle and authorized driver preprocessed for expedited border crossing. FAST is an evolution of the National Customs Automation Program and National Automated Trade Prototype (NATAP) programs.

Prior to Sep. 11, the primary goal was to enhance the flow of low-risk travelers and goods through the international ports of entry. U.S. Customs deployed the NATAP system on the Ambassador and Peace Bridges in 1997. This system uses windshield-mounted RFID transponders in commercial vehicles and a roadside reader for automatic vehicle identification. Individual trucks were cross-checked against the U.S. government's NATAP database to determine if import and export documents were in order. This allowed preprocessing of compliant, low-risk commercial vehicles and cargo that were signaled to pass with a traffic light. High-risk, non-compliant vehicles and cargo were directed to secondary examination for closer inspection.

That same year dedicated commuter lanes (DCLs), also used at El Paso, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro, were installed for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service. The DCLs allow commuters who submit to background and vehicle checks to be designated as trusted travelers. They are issued RFID transponders and ID cards that allow them to use the dedicated commuter lanes and bypass long waits.

In late August 2002, the Northwest International Trade Corridor & Smart Border Crossing program, in Washington state, inaugurated the first-of-its-kind freight management system that demonstrates a secure chain of custody for in-bond, containerized freight. Shipping containers are sealed at the factory in Japan and as containers enter U.S. ports at Seattle and Tacoma the system verifies the integrity of electronic seals, the travel time and begins monitoring freight as it travels over U.S. interstates in commercial vehicles and passes between the U.S. and Canada.

Through this process, critical logistics information is gathered and distributed to authorized users to minimize freight security risk and monitor shipments throughout the Northwest Trade Corridor. Shipping containers are affixed with electronic seals, and loaded onto trucks outfitted with wireless communication RFID tags. Roadside readers identify shipments as they pass by various gateways from point of origin to their destination. The electronic container seals also provide data necessary to identify the container and associated cargo and report whether a container has been opened, has exceeded the expected travel time, whether it has been tampered with and whether an illicit breach occurred so authorities can be notified.

Commercial vehicle and container monitoring technology is deployed at six weigh stations and processing centers spanning 300 miles of I-5 from Vancouver, Wash., to the Seattle and Tacoma area. The system relays critical event data including information on carrier, vehicle, cargo, location and time of detection, drivers and security status to authorized public and private sector stakeholders, such as U.S. Customs Service agents the U.S. Department of Agriculture agents, and freight operators, via a secure website (www.transcorridor.com).

The system will automatically close and open in-bond freight transactions in the U.S. Customs Service Automated Manifest System at the Blaine, Wash., Commercial Vehicle Processing center.

Future plans include monitoring the movement of containerized, in-bond freight out of Canada, south through the Blaine Commercial Vehicle Processing center and into the ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Wash. Also planned is the provision of logistics data to the regional Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency.

Eventually the system will make use of vehicle transponders, electronic seals and driver biometrics, extending the positive identification of the trade transactions, eliminating the risk of counterfeit credentials. This driver identification functionality will also be used for secure entry and exit of vehicles from ports and intermodal freight facilities throughout the region.

A showdown at the Mexican border

On our southern frontier with Mexico, the Otay Mesa border crossing is the largest commercial vehicle crossing on the California-Mexico border and handles the third highest volume. Based on U.S. International Trade Commission figures, the U.S. imports $130.5 billion of goods for domestic consumption and exports $90.5 billion to Mexico. Though the present climate is contentious with Mexico, since the enactment of NAFTA the annual volume of trucks at Otay Mesa has increased 60% to 1.2 million trucks per year. The need for border infrastructure and border management systems that facilitate the continued integration of the North American economic region is vital.

Vehicles crossing from the Mexican Export Processing facility enter the Otay Mesa compound, are processed by U.S. Customs and a variety of other agencies (e.g., INS, USDA, ATF, etc.). This process can take up to several hours depending on the volume of traffic, quality of credentials and paperwork and level of scrutiny applied. While no one system will accommodate all elements of this process, the vision for the pilot test project is to demonstrate and evaluate enhanced ITS technology applications and border crossing processes, similar to the Northwest International Trade Corridor and Border Crossing System and the FAST system.

Securing the future

As we seek to find homeland security solutions, the good news is the very same technologies at work to make our lives easier, more convenient, more productive and more fluid can create the kinds of advanced security measures we need in our post-9/11 world. With funding now in place, President Bush's 2003 budget provides the U.S. Customs Service an additional allocation of $619 million, with a total of $2.3 billion to broaden safety measures, including acquiring technology for the inspection of shipments that enhance efficiency and reduce labor-intensive systems. Bush also established the office of Homeland Security and tapped Tom Ridge as its champion.

Alongside this, pilot tests are showing success. But, what is next? What has to happen?

The cornerstone of all border-crossing efforts is a higher level of integration. There is no magic bullet, but the opportunity to fuse together things that have never been done before is real. Various technologies will support this, but integration of technologies, information systems and regulatory agencies is what will build the North American "smart" border of the future. TME